Recent technical developments for utilizing biomass as an alternative energy source have presented a number of promising opportunities for the forestry industry. Forest biomass has the potential for use in countless different applications including generating heat, production of liquid fuel, production of biogas, generating bioelectricity, and production of feedstock for chemicals and other materials. Forest biomass generally includes any plant or tree material produced by forest growth. A key challenge in using forest biomass for energy production is accomplishing harvest, processing, and transportation at reasonable costs. Transportation can often pose unique challenges because the equipment used to transport traditional forest product materials cannot always be used in biomass application without substantial and costly modifications.
In traditional forestry operations, the term “chip van” refers to a tractor/trailer rig which uses a large-capacity, topor rear loaded trailer that is designed to haul bulk material. An example of a conventional chip van 100 for transporting wood residuals (e.g., chips) is shown schematically in FIGS. 1 and 2. As shown in FIG. 1, the chip van 100 includes a cab portion 102 connected to one or more storage portions 104. Each storage portion 104 has an open top 106. During loading, the chip van 100 is parked in a saw mill, engineered wood product plant or any other wood products facility as shown in FIG. 2. Wood residuals 202 are then deposited into the storage portion 104 via the open top 106. Referring back to FIG. 1, the open top may 106 be covered with a tarp 108 during travel to prevent the material inside the storage portion 104 from falling out. This practice can result in safety hazards associated with attaching the tarp or the tarp becoming loose during transportation. In addition, material also can blow out of the top of the van onto the roadway during transport even when tarped.
In an effort to improve biomass transportation, some manufacturers have modified traditional chip vans to make them more suitable for biomass applications. Referring to FIG. 3, an example of a chip van 300 for transporting biomass is shown schematically. As shown in FIG. 3, the chip van includes a cab portion 302 connected to one or more storage portions 404. Each storage portion 304 has a closed top 306 and an open back end 308. The chip van 300 is loaded by blowing biomass 402 into the open back end 308 as shown in FIG. 4. A gate, door, or another closing mechanism 404 may be provided to secure the loaded biomass 402 during transport.
Most biomass transportation systems are limited to the sole functionality of transporting forest biomass. Likewise, most wood residual transportation systems are limited to the sole functionality of transporting wood residuals. Accordingly, there is an opportunity to improve current transportation technology by expanding the functionality of biomass transportation equipment to include capabilities associated with transport of more traditional forest product materials (e.g., chips, logs, etc.). Furthermore, the ability to retrofit traditional forestry equipment for biomass applications could result in a meaningful cost savings. Thus, there is a need to develop new systems and methods for biomass transport, which combine the functionality of conventional transportation equipment with equipment suited for the transportation challenges posed by forest biomass.